Don Carson, owner of Don & Charlie's in Scottsdale, has offered $10,000 to recover the memorabilia, the television station reported. An additional $1,000 was offered through the Silent Witness program.
The restaurant is scheduled to close April 10, according to the restaurant's website. That makes the theft doubly painful, Carson said.
"They were in here, 33 of 'em. It's just ... gone. That's a bummer. It really is," Carson told the Arizona Republic. "A lot of these guys I know, or did know. Now I know why people crowded around and looked at this, because it's pretty damn cool."
Help us catch the burglar(s) who stole 33 autographed Hall of Fame baseballs from @DonandCharlies1 . There is an 11K reward for information helping to solve the case. Call @SilentwitnessAZ at 480-(W-I-T-N-E-S-S). #MLB #HallOfFame pic.twitter.com/tBZN8qL2oU
— ScottsdalePD (@ScottsdalePD) March 29, 2019
Carson said it was the first time there had been a break-in at the restaurant since it opened in 1981, KNXV reported.
According to a news release, the 33 baseballs included autographs from baseball Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, Joe DiMaggio, Ernie Banks and Whitey Ford, the Republic reported.
The restaurant had 750 autographed baseballs in its collection, plus jerseys worn by Willie Mays, Joe Montana and Michael Jordan, according to the restaurant's website.
Carson is hoping the reward money will lead to the lost memorabilia.
"I'm not gonna let one act of people being stupid change my view on people in life," Carson told the Republic.
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